I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 61 Fulfillment
After realizing that it would be difficult for him to betray the trust that the members of Squad 14 had placed in him, John decided to overturn his original plan to defeat his enemy after a morning of careful deliberation.

He needed to win the task of governing the town of Bahamut. Only in this way, with his military achievements and previous accomplishments, could he enter Emperor William's sight as a 'jack-of-all-trades' and gain the opportunity to be valued by him.

This would then qualify him to command a regimental-level unit.

When the Western Front was completely over, Emperor Wilhelm, despite pressure from the cabinet, officially bestowed honors upon the Seventh Army.

John will then be able to incorporate the members of Squad 14 into his new unit, thus ensuring that the members of Squad 14 who follow him will not become cannon fodder in the future 'Valkyrie' campaign, which is known as the meat grinder of the battlefield.

John had already considered the impact of doing so on his retirement plans.

Given the current changes, his original plan to issue a reform bill in Dormammu's name and use it as a pretext to launch reforms will likely have to be put on hold for some time.

At the very least, before Emperor Wilhelm, through his victory at the Battle of Walden, overpowered the cabinet to formally incorporate the 7th Army, which had never been recognized as the Emperor's direct force, into the Imperial establishment, and before Dormammu was appointed as the Third Field Marshal of the Imperial Air Force, thus truly possessing one-third of the Imperial Air Force's military power.

He absolutely could not present this reform bill, as he wanted to transform the old subordinates of the 14th Squad from ordinary magic soldiers into political officer guards.

Moreover, compared to Dormammu's triumphant victory, it would be a far cry from offering the enemy a knife to slash nobles.

John felt that this veteran, who was about to become the new commander of the Third Air Army of the Empire, was being secretly arranged by the Imperial conservatives and was being ostracized and targeted by the two air marshals above him who came from the aristocratic faction. His military power, which should have been in his hands, was being constantly compressed and reduced. He was becoming more and more hateful and disgusted with the old aristocratic group led by Prime Minister Wolf.

At this point, if he were to proactively offer the knife, it might be more likely to ignite the other party's enthusiasm for reform.

After all, adding flowers to brocade is far less valuable than providing charcoal in the snow.

Moreover, if he had actually left the military and turned to the imperial government at that time, with his rank and Dormammu's help, he could have easily become the Minister of the Imperial New Law Implementation Department, instead of the low-level political official he was originally planned to be.

Although it will still be subject to targeting and suppression by the cabinet, and the intensity of the targeting will certainly be far greater than previously expected.

However, if he could save the lives of his trusted subordinates and retire peacefully, John felt he could accept it.

Of course, these were merely John's predictions and inferences about his future situation, based on his clear understanding of the power struggles among the major forces in the empire and the information gap brought about by this foresight.

While the general difference shouldn't be too great, John knew that what he needed to focus on most right now was something else entirely.

"Serbia Reinhardt must be captured!"

Inside the camp, watching the troops orderly organizing their equipment and preparing to advance under his orders, John's gaze became particularly solemn.

As a gamer, John knew better than anyone how terrifying this Serbian woman was.

Before undergoing the magical transformation experiment called 'War Dragon God' at the Allied Magic Workshop, even without fully transforming into a dragon and only able to fight in a half-dragon form after activating his magic, Serbia's individual combat strength was enough to rank among the top fifty in the entire world, second only to those Grand Rank powerhouses who inherited the ancient magical heritage.

After completing the War Dragon God's modification experiment, combined with her dragon-human special forces, Serbia's ranking is enough to be among the top three.

Only weaker than Elena Camrofi, the Star Shattering Sword Saint who represents the pinnacle of individual combat power, and Anna Splinter, the female protagonist who has completed the creation of her unique spell domain and can strip and kill everything within the domain.

Therefore, whether it's John's retirement plan or his attempt to delay the Allies from obtaining this extremely powerful SSR card and slow down their pace of destroying the Empire, it's all part of the equation.

He must capture Serbia in the town of Bahamut.

After all, no one understands the Allies and the protagonist group better than him, who was once a player in the Allied faction.

John knew very well that if Serbia escaped in Bahamut, then under Anna's protagonist aura, she would inevitably bring her own Concord Society to join the Allies and become a member of the Allies' Special Operations Department.

This is an inevitable result of the attraction between the two personalities and the influence of their shared ideals.

And if this kind and gentle person, who is like a reliable older sister to her allies, but is extremely cruel and ruthless to the enemy, were to be defeated by him, who is now an imperial lackey, and then successfully escape.

Given the other party's personality, they will inevitably try every means to take their own head to wash away this 'humiliating' defeat.

John, who knew her better than Serbia herself, was well aware that this was something the other party was capable of doing.

Although a bit cruel.

However, if the situation really gets really bad...

So even if it meant killing the other party, John felt it was necessary.

John believes that relying solely on 120 magic soldiers tasked with pinpoint explosions is far from sufficient to achieve the goal of capturing or even killing Serbia without any chance of failure.

He needs to add another layer of insurance to his plan.

And that insurance is...

“Commander John, you just said you need me to fight for you, right?”

In the courtyard of Stone Village, surrounded by earthen walls, Siegfried, who was doing his usual arm strength training by lifting stone weights, looked at John with a look of astonishment upon hearing this.

He seemed somewhat incredulous that the respected officer who had just rejected his enlistment application yesterday would change his mind the very next day.

But the surprise was fleeting; Siegfried quickly realized that the other party must have run into trouble, otherwise they would never have suddenly come looking for him.

Siegfried, naturally, wouldn't refuse this Imperial officer who had helped their village of Stone and was known for his integrity and kindness. He immediately straightened his expression and agreed:
"No problem, sir. If you need me, I'm ready to fight for you anytime!"

After saying that, as if remembering something, Siegfried turned to look at his father Ernest, who was leaning on his cane and had fallen silent at some point.

Looking at the other person's wrinkled, aged face, a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

He knew that his father, who always cared about the safety of his family, would definitely not agree to his risky decision.

Just as he was about to persuade the other party, Ernest spoke up:

“Commander John, if you really need manpower, then besides Siegfried, please bring along the other hunters from our village as well.”

"They are all very good hunters with excellent tracking skills, and they are all good with guns. I believe they will definitely be able to help the great Imperial Army in battle!"

"!"

Meeting Siegfried's astonished gaze, Ernest surprisingly uttered these words.

In fact, Ernest had already sensed this situation upon seeing John's arrival and was prepared for it.

Although he didn't know exactly how strong his son was, Ernest knew from the exaggerated physical strength that Siegfried had displayed after recovering from a serious illness in his childhood that he was a gifted individual.

Having experienced so much, he understands even more clearly that ordinary people cannot rise above their circumstances simply by relying on extraordinary talent.

There are countless gifted people in this world. When he was young, he had seen sharpshooters who never missed a shot in a tavern and had watched from afar those mages who could unleash powerful magic.

But what happened to these young people who were blinded by wealth and fame and tried to rise to a position second only to the emperor?

The luckier ones might be taken in by nobles and become their dogs, turning into shameless scoundrels who prey on the villagers and oppress the people.

But many more died tragically on their journey forward because they refused to bow their heads.

In Ernest's view, the so-called rise to prominence is nothing more than a bloody and cruel testing ground.

Those who can stand out from the crowd, besides having talent, are mostly lucky.

In this world, only those who are truly talented and morally upright can be appreciated and favored.

Only those from the lower classes, who could be trampled upon at will by the nobles, had a real chance to rise to a higher position.

Unfortunately, all nobles are the same.

Arrogant and cruel, they fabricate lies to deceive the people with the so-called glory, making them submit and become obedient and loyal dogs.

As for the officers, they were nothing more than lackeys serving these shameless nobles.

Prior to this, Ernest had believed this, which is why, after his son Siegfried was born, he constantly taught him to play dumb and to hide his wisdom and abilities.

Only in this way could he survive peacefully in this world where the lowest classes prey on each other.

Unfortunately, he ultimately underestimated Siegfried's stubborn nature, which led to him being immersed in regret for more than a decade after their separation, and he even dared not look into the eyes of his deceased wife in his dreams.

After his son returned to his hometown with his daughter-in-law and grandson, he didn't say much, but only Ernest himself knew that that night was the most peaceful night he had ever slept in more than ten years since his son left home.

It was from that time that he noticed his son had changed, becoming much more composed than before.

Although he is still somewhat stubborn, he is no longer as impulsive as he was in his youth.

And they learned to hide themselves, even if they weren't very good at it.

However, this was enough to make Ernest feel gratified. Therefore, regarding his son Siegfried's secret trip to Walden Pond to try to access the magical lake that was mysterious yet extremely dangerous to mortals, he always turned a blind eye after confirming that the other party was safe.

He knew that a cage made of vines and grass could not possibly confine a bluebird that longed to soar.

Therefore, Ernest had been secretly contacting passing caravans over the years, quietly preparing for an opportunity.

An opportunity to propel one's proud son into the true sky that belongs to him.

And the opportunity he had been waiting for is now, right now!
It was this officer named John Maslow!
As Siegfried's father, how could he become a constraint on the other party at such a time?

Thinking of this, Ernest immediately abandoned all hesitation, threw away his cane, and then, under Siegfried's red-eyed gaze and John's surprised look,

With unprecedented respect and hope, he bowed deeply to the benefactor who had saved Shidong Village from destruction and entrusted his son's future to him, his tone filled with an unprecedented firmness:
“I swear to you in the name of the Fafner family that Siegfried Fafner will be loyal to you in every way.”

"Therefore, Commander John, please take him under your command and make good use of him!"

……

(End of this chapter)